Improvement in corn-huskers



. HARTNETT.

Corn Husker.

Patented Sept. l. 1868.

IIIIIIIIIH UNITED STATES PATENT EEIGE.

JOHN M. HAETNETT, on wA'UKEeAN, AssIeNoR To EERT L. FABIAN,

OF LAKE FOREST, ILLINOIS.

y'livnenovl-:mlaNT IN coRN-HUSKER'S. y

4Specicnation forming part of Letters Patent No. 81,631, dated September1, 1868.

To all whom fitmaygcooem:

Be it known than, JOHN M. HARTNETT, of

" Waukegan, in the county of Lake and State ofIllinois,haveinventedanewanlusefulMachine i for Husking Corn; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the construction and operation of the same, referencebeing had to the annexed drawings, in which- Figures I and III representboth the end views of the machine; Fig. II, a side view; Fig. IV, thegroundplan. Fig. V shows a section through the rollers in the directionof the line a b in Fig. II.

The machine consists of an oblong wooden frame on legs, as appears inFig. II, and marked c c o c, covered by a wooden slab as far as the lined d in Fig. IV, the remaining space being open to admit the ears of cornto fall into the chutes from the picker, (a device which I apply,)composed of two rolls, the lower corrugated and the upper plain. Asection of the upper appears in Fig. II, marked e, and the upper andlower in Fig. III, marked, respectively, c and f, also in Fig. IV,marked as above, where the cornstalk is represented as passing throughthe rolls and the ear approaching to be picked off. The lowerpicker-roll is turned by a shaft entering the wheel g g in Fig. II.

Theearof corn ,bein g detached from the stalk, drops into the hopper orchute h h, as shown in Fig. IV, and is directed to the opening or cut ontheside of the hinged door M, which admits it to fall on the rolls j j na, as" represented in Figs. I, III, IV, and V. These rolls are set on anincline, as represented in Fig. II, and are longitudinal of the machine.They are-revolved by being geared together. The motion from thegear-wheel 7c in Fig. II is imparted to them by the mesh of two bevel-Wheels, one attached to the elongated shaft of one of the rolls and theother to the shaft which penetrates wheel k, and is marked Zin Fig. II.y

The chute or hopper h h is of metal, and there is a continuation orstrip of the same material, m m, running along the side board,

and turned inward at the point where the cut in the hinged doorcommences, and marked Vno in. Fig. IV.

The longitudinal rolls (see Fig. VI) yare constructed of an iron shaft,marked o, covered with wood, marked p, and thisV again covered withalternate wheels of rubber and metal. The metal sections on the rolls jj are formed with teeth or spurs, as` represented inFig.-V. rThose onthe rolls n n are smooth. The rolls are placed so that the metal ringsare opposite, and the rubber rings opposite each to each. The rolls areof two sizes, the center one, j j, being larger than n n by one-third orone-half of its diameter, as shown in Fig. V.

The pendant q in Figs. I and V holds down the doors -i i when themachine is in operation. It is suspended from the cross-piece r in Fig.I, and may be moved' from side to side, so as to permit the raising ofthe doors t i.

I use two side pieces of wood, as markeds s in Fig. I I, to which thedoors are hinged, and to which I attach a strip or slat running parallelwith the ouside roll, and about two and one-half inches above it, theentire length of the board s s. On this the corn or ear rests or strikeswhen leaving the hopper and be fore dropping on the rollers, after whichthe strip serves for a fender to keep the ear in its longitudinalposition on the rolls.

The machine is used by feeding the cornstalk (with the ear on) butt-endto diagonal rollers. reaches them, is directed, by the form of the chuteh h, Fig. IV, to the opening in the door, which, being beveledunderneath, causes it to fall longitudinally on the rolls. These,revolving toward each other, grasp the husk and silk, depositing themunderneath the machine, and delivering the cleaned ear at the end markedt in Fig. II.

The use and object of the hopper or chutes h h, as designed, are to giveproper direction to the ear after it leaves the picker, and may be madeto direct it to the center rolls of the machine, which would bedesirable in a large implement.

The use and object of the strip under the opening in the doors are tohold the point of the ear, so that the whole ear may become The earvdropping down, when it A fairly at right angles with the diagonalrollers or picker, and roll evenly over, presenting its side, and notits point, to the longitudinal rollers. The rollers then seize the huskat the sides, and not on the end, thereby avoiding the drawing in of thepoint of the ear, and consequent stopping or breaking of the machinery,which ensues on the presentation to the rolls of that point of the ear.

The doors iz', When fastened by the pendant q, are designed to preventthe ear from 'upending, and, While placed sufficiently far from therolls to allow the corn to rotate, they keep it constantly presentedlaterally to the rolls j j and u u, for their action on the husk andsilk.

The design in constructing the rolls of alternate rings of rubber andmetal is, rst, that the rubber may perform the husking; and, secondly,that, in the event of ears presenting the point or butt, the knives orspurs on the rolls jj, operating against the smooth rolls n u, cut oi'the point presented, and the door iz', being held rigidly by the pendantg, causes the ear to resume its proper relative position to the rolls jj and n n.

The design in making the rolls of varying size in diameter is to insurea more certain and rapid rotation of the ear on its passage over them,and less opportunity or disposition to clog or be drawn in.

The intent of the continued strip of metal m m from the chute to thepoint a: in Fig. IV is to present an unbroken side surface to the ear,and also, by the curve or turn inward at point w, to give the ear aninclination to fall over on the rolls j j and n n.

I therefore make the following claims, viz:

l. The hopper or chute h h, with the metal extension m m, as and for thepurposes herein specified.

2. The hinged door i fi, with the pendant or fastening q, as and for thepurposes herein specified.

3. The rolls j j and n n, varying in size, Workin g together, thecombination of iron and Wood, and the covering with alternate rings ofmetal and rubber, and of spurred and plain metal, as herein fullyspecified, and for the purposes set forth.

JOHN M. HARTNETT.

Witnesses:

GEo. S. WHEELER, WM. EDMoNDs.

